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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bore — to tire
  10. hand — help
  11. march — the month
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a word
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. march — music
  16. bound — certain
  17. bore — to drill
  18. mark — a grade
  19. spell — letters
  20. stock — shares
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. root — of a plant
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com